I took a long, contemplative drag on my cigarette as I looked at my husband’s naked body draped across my bed and, in particular, at the beginnings of his early-morning erection. Was he thinking of me? Was his arousal brought on by dreams of my throbbing vagina, wet with my desire for him? Or was he thinking of her and how her naked body had felt in that alley? We were back home in L.A. in our made-up world. Why had I been so anxious to go looking for something different when we were far from the normal, average couple?

Hunter and I had always talked about going to Carnival in Venice, and of the naughty pleasure the winding streets and murky canals might hold for us — our masked, naked bodies summoning ancient spirits in this almost-pagan tradition. So one day, fed up with the West Coast, the meetings, and the dead-end negotiations within our production company, we decided to just go. Fuck the schedules and L.A.’s glossy sights — we were headed for Venice. We were strong, sexual, and beautiful together, but I was restless, always searching for more. Maybe that’s why Eve chose me for her and Justin’s pleasure.

We’d arrived in Venice late on a balmy Thursday afternoon. I’d slipped off my panties and bra, letting the soft breeze billow under my dress, before we took the water taxi to Venice. It was here that I wanted to test the sexual limits of our relationship and try new things.

Justin and Eve were staying in our hotel and having drinks in the lobby when our worlds collided with one innocent question. Eve, small but intense, with black hair and perfect red lips, casually approached me, her arm gently caressing mine, and asked if I knew the time. I think she saw me and wanted me for them. From that innocent query, the conversation meandered to the typical in an atypical fashion. Eve was sexual without trying, her breasts dancing freely in her gauzy red top. Justin was quietly inviting in an intellectual sort of way, with his wire-rim glasses and young, chiseled face. They were a couple you knew had great sex together all the time, not just quickies in the morning before getting dressed for work.

They invited Hunter and me to join them for a drink in an hour. I went back to our room where Hunter was sleeping and quietly touched his cheek as I stepped out of my dress and straddled him. I unzipped his pants as he began to stir in that hazy sort of way when you don’t need to talk or even bother kissing. I put him inside me and held his arms as I came and came again in a wave of passion and quiet desperation for something I still had not had.

As we slipped out the door, we adorned each other with our new masks. I felt amazingly free and open to new pleasures.

Justin and Eve had their costumes on when we met them. Hunter was a little reluctant, but then he never wanted anyone outside our L.A. circle to join our world. He never got to see what they looked like. Only their bodies did he come to know later. We had a drink and engaged in talk that could only be classified as verbal foreplay. We were already dripping with the sexual energy of the city.

We went out into the streets, into a sea of masks, pulsating music, and vibrant entertainers. Random hands grazed our bodies. Eve pulled me into an alleyway, slid her hand between my thighs, and let one finger gently flick against my clitoris. I felt Hunter growing hard against me. He grabbed me and pushed his tongue into my mouth, gently cupping my breasts. I was between Hunter and Eve. Justin was behind Eve, pulling off her blouse, exposing her hard nipples. Justin came toward me as Hunter moved toward Eve. Hunter’s hands found Eve’s nipples and he began kissing her deeply. Justin pushed me against the cool brick wall, and I heard the downward slide of his zipper. His thick cock pushed into me from behind, and I moaned with pleasure. His studious demeanor gave way to that of a take-charge lover who penetrated me in a way Hunter never had.

As he thrust into me, he whispered, “Does Hunter do this to you? I bet your pussy has never been this wet.” I turned and saw Eve and Hunter watching. I saw her smile as my husband entered her again and again. Hunter had taken her over in a way that I could never succumb to. I felt I was too strong; all my hours at the gym had given me the sense I should conquer, not be taken.

We four seemed to converge. Eve and I locked lips and stroked each other as our husbands touched our bodies, licked our sweat, felt our juices flowing down our thighs. I jabbed two fingers into Eve’s pussy, wanting to feel where my husband had been. She let me lead, her touch gentle yet understanding. She was teaching me about pleasure without me asking for the lesson. She trembled and fell into my embrace. With Eve and me sandwiched in the middle, our mates entered us from behind. Hunter’s cock teased me at first, then found its favorite place again and again.

The rest of what happened doesn’t really matter. I realized Justin and Eve were a couple always looking for a new game, a new adventure. I know now that that’s not what I wanted. I wanted Hunter.

As I watched him in bed on that perfect morning, I no longer wondered if I am happy; I know I am. Sometimes you have to experiment to realize where your true pleasure lies. I got back under the covers, massaged him until his penis was hard, then slowly, lovingly, let him enter me, his hot breath against my neck. And I let him take control.